Back catalogue: Leftfield

Review: A collaborative new single by sampletronic master Kieran Hebden (aka. Four Tet) and guitarist and composer William Tyler, two acclaimed musicians and both longstanding friends. Part of a recent spewing-forth of Hebden-adjacent material to hit the shelves after the artist's oft-reported-upon "agent of chaos" phase, these two tracks, pressed to a furtive 12", provide a neat counterpoint to that assessment. Rather than a pair of riddim bangers, the record flaunts Hebden's signature electronic textures and Tyler's guitar into a hypnotic, nominally dark soundwhirl, reminiscent of the earliest days of Text, but with a unique edge - a sonic corner never quite scoured before by either artist.

Review: Sydney-based friends MP Hopkins and Mary MacDougall bring a haunting edge to folk music here. 'Weeds' is like lo-fi horror film music with tape-recorded radio static giving a foreboding atmosphere. 'Clay Graffiti' sounds like a post-apocalyptic ghost story with the spoken word conjuring images of landscapes tormented by wind and life dissolved. The group clearly have a knack for sequencing and the finer details of what makes a great album. After the intense end-of-the-world feel of the track that closes side A, Side B opens with 'Yellow Rose', which feels like spring; lyrically, in the bright piano, guitar and through the vocal timbre. It gives a sense of renewal that wouldn't have the same impact if it wasn't for the harsh winter feel of the track before it. But don't mistake this for anything twee - experimental folk is taking over the underground cultural zeitgeist and Warm Currency are an important part of that. This is the band's third release on the Horn of Plenty label and it's a solid follow-up to Returns (2022) and Live at the Petersham Bowling Club (2023).

Review: Drone music has a unique quality that really pulls you in. Whether it's the haunting vocals of Pandit Pran Nath or the heavy tones of Sunn O))), it shifts your focus to a deep flow. Water Damage's debut LP Repeater perfectly embodies this. With their motto "Maximal Repetition Minimal Deviation," this Austin septet offers thick layers of sound that are mesmerising, mixing two drummers and two bass players for a powerful effect that keeps evolving. This album invites you to settle in and lose yourself in its depths, so relax and enjoy the ride.

Review: We Are Winter's Blue And Radiant Children features Mat Ball (Big Brave), Efrim Manuel Menuck (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Thee Silver Mt. Zion), and Jonathan Downs and Patch One (both Ada). Their new album, No More Apocalypse delivers six haunting lullabies infused with heavy distortion and electronic rhythms. Ball and Menuck initiated the project during the harsh Montreal winters, seeking warmth and solace in their music. Later, they brought in Downs and Patch to enrich their vision. The album explores the theme of observing despair from a place of safety. Menuck's lyrics, freed from traditional meter, offer vivid, photorealistic imagery. On the opener 'Rats and Roses,' he describes a city struck by an unnamed disaster, drawing on local details like neighbors poisoning birds while dealing with rats. The track builds to a powerful crescendo with blown-out synths and guitars. 'Dangling Blanket From A Balcony (White Phosphorous)' recalls Michael Jackson's infamous balcony incident and comments on white phosphorous, a wartime technology causing severe burns. The final track, '(Goodnight) White Phosphorous,' is a lullaby reflecting on the horror of white phosphorous falling outside one's window. No More Apocalypse Father is a profound blend of illumination and despair. The album captures the conflicting emotions of witnessing horror from a place of comfort, evoking a sense of ambivalence that is far from passive. It's a powerful, immersive experience that resonates deeply.

Review: Proper Music embark on a proper reissue of White Noise's 1969 debut and power-electronics-populariser, An Electric Storm. A bastion of cult musique concrete albumry born of the triadic genii of David Vorhaus, Brian Hodgson, and Delia Derbyshire, An Electric Storm was a watershed album at the time. And given certain conservative proclivities of the music releasing landscape today, it very well still could be. Going into what would surely become a longstanding collaborative project, this LP established the trio's patented approach to recording - 'storm techniques' - which aimed to proffer to the listener sounds which, the band wagered, would've never been heard before. A natural stipule of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the album is the sonic quintessence of the word 'tinkering' - the group combined all manner of tape loops, vocals, live percussion and weirdo-phonics - yet also works in motifs of the then popular modes of psychedelia and chamber pop; these songs are otherwise unsettlingly embedded in licentious, doomy texturescapes, comprising various groans, gulps, moans and bangs.

Review: Windy & Carl's album Consciousness encapsulates the duo's exploration of ambient and drone music with a warmer, more pastoral feel compared to their previous works. Absent are the vague dread and claustrophobia, replaced by buoyant soundscapes that evoke sense of tranquility. The song titles themselves, such as 'The Sun' and 'Elevation,' reinforce this lighter tone. 'The Sun' opens the album with simple yet direct electric guitar chords, setting the stage for the serene journey ahead. Even tracks like 'Balance (Trembling)' touch on darker shadings but quickly transition to glowing, comforting tones. Tracks like 'Elevation' and 'The Llama's Dream' contribute to the dream-like atmosphere of the album, with shimmering tones and ethereal vocals adding to its hallucinatory quality. 'Resolution' concludes the album with a final, contemplative note. Consciousness shows Windy & Carl's dedication to perfecting the drone. While there may not be a major departure in style, the album is commitment to crafting immersive sonic experiences. For fans of ambient and drone music, Consciousness is another great album to have and enjoy.

Review: Most people know The Wolfgang Press as one of the longest serving names on the hallowed roster of celebrated UK label 4AD. Here, though, the project founded by Michael Allen and Mark Cox all the way back in 1983 find themselves on Regis and Female's celebrated techno and alternative label, Downwards, marking a change of family for the band's first new studio album in almost three decades. A 2nd Shape fits the imprint wonderfully well. Dubbed-out basslines, slo-mo drum machines, buzzing synth refrains, and disrupted, or at least unclean FX and melody making this a beautifully twisted post punk-post rock triumph that's as dark as it is beguiling, as moody as it is freeing, and as contemplative as it is immediate and confident.